I don't think it's about being in the "friend zone", and I also don't think it's stalker-esque. I think they're merely acquaintances. He's scared and lonely but he cares for her and thinks he knows what's best for her. She's with another guy and he's not the best for her. She's aware the speaker exists, but I wouldn't call them friends.
In depth interpretation:
"There's a graceful dance above me from the sun reflecting in
Off the cars that pass below, each with their own story within.
And the dance moves, they remind me of the times that I've walked in
To a room and left with nothing except the fear to walk back in."
I think the lyricist did a wonderful job capturing loneliness. Our speaker is staring out the window at cars driving by, silently wondering what the people in them are like. He doesn't think too heavily about it because the movement of the cars and, as a result the people within them, reminds him how lonely he is-- how he always leaves, or how people always leave him.
"So I'll stay safe at my vantage, on occasion I'll peer in."
It depends on the definition of vantage to know what he's specifically saying, but the meaning is the same. A vantage is simply a position, but it can also be defined as a position that gives one (obviously) an advantage. If we go with the second option, then he's saying that being distanced is a good thing for him, as far as perspective goes. But given how lonely he seems to be, I think that he's using "vantage" as a nice sounding word for "position".
His vantage is very distanced. But occasionally he will "peer in", or take a closer look. I understand this to mean he will have brief interactions with her-- the only contact he has the courage to initiate.
"You'll grow up out of the corner of my eyes right next to him.
You'll need help, you'll need attention.
You're a captivated whim."
So he is watching her "grow up" which I take to mean change rapidly and perhaps lose innocence, not the literal growing up that takes years to do. She's changing because of the man she's with. I don't think he is abusive or particularly neglectful, despite the "help/attention" bit. The narrator thinks that he, himself, is the right one for this girl. He can give her the attention that she needs and as a result he has a biased view of the boyfriend. But she is with her boyfriend and loves him very much- hence "captivated". However, her boyfriend sees her as merely a fling- hence "whim".
"But I'm a coward prone to quitting.
I just make sure never to begin."
He wants to help her, to give her attention and appreciation, but he's so scared of losing it or disappointing her that he decides it's better to not even try.
"The gunpowder between my teeth lets me know that I've come clean
It should be easy to say goodbye since you won't be looking at me."
This is, in my opinion, a beautiful way to describe a suicide. As he shoots himself through the head (hence gunpowder between his teeth) he knows he is doing what's best for both him and the girl. He knows that she won't be hurt by his death because she hardly pays attention to him as it is.
"I can see you through a window but the cracks keep you a blur."
Watching from a distance. "Cracks" could be a metaphor for how she's changing for her man, thus she appears "blurred" compared to the woman the narrator once saw her as.
"There's a victim in this story, I wish to god that is was her."
This line confused me for a little while, because why would he suddenly want the girl to be the victim? But then I noticed the shift in pronouns. He always refers to himself as "I", the girl as "you", the boyfriend as "he", and now there is a sudden "she". I think "she" refers to another fling the boyfriend is having. The narrator wishes "she" (this other girl) could be the one experiencing the pain of the cheating relationship, but he knows in the end it will be the girl he cares for who gets hurt.
"While I know I've your recognition, it's of its nature I'm not sure.
If I could ever push this question I'd shut my ears for the answer."
This is by far my favorite part. It's a beautiful way to word something that is simple but also painfully relateable to some. He knows that the girl is aware of his existence. They make eye contact, they've spoken. But does she even care? Or is he one of the hundreds of people we see all the time? Are their brief conversations merely out of politeness or does she remember him at the end of the day?
He desperately wants to know. But the recurring theme of cowardice comes back in two ways. First, he doesn't even have the courage to ask in the first place. "If I COULD ever push this question". Again, this relates back to how he's too afraid of his own inadequacy or of emotional pain to even try. But even if he could ask, he wouldn't listen to the answer, for the reasons listed above.
Then the song repeats.
I've always thought of this song as the story of a man who works somewhere-- maybe a bar or a coffee shop-- and the girl is a frequent customer, sometimes with her boyfriend. In their brief interactions, he falls for her. He becomes hopeless and desperate for her. Still, all he can manage is the simple "Hello, how are you today?", or maybe a little more. In the end, the knowledge that he can't provide for her, and that she probably doesn't want him to anyway, become too much and he ends his life, with her being his last thoughts.
I don't think it's about being in the "friend zone", and I also don't think it's stalker-esque. I think they're merely acquaintances. He's scared and lonely but he cares for her and thinks he knows what's best for her. She's with another guy and he's not the best for her. She's aware the speaker exists, but I wouldn't call them friends.
In depth interpretation:
"There's a graceful dance above me from the sun reflecting in Off the cars that pass below, each with their own story within. And the dance moves, they remind me of the times that I've walked in To a room and left with nothing except the fear to walk back in."
I think the lyricist did a wonderful job capturing loneliness. Our speaker is staring out the window at cars driving by, silently wondering what the people in them are like. He doesn't think too heavily about it because the movement of the cars and, as a result the people within them, reminds him how lonely he is-- how he always leaves, or how people always leave him.
"So I'll stay safe at my vantage, on occasion I'll peer in."
It depends on the definition of vantage to know what he's specifically saying, but the meaning is the same. A vantage is simply a position, but it can also be defined as a position that gives one (obviously) an advantage. If we go with the second option, then he's saying that being distanced is a good thing for him, as far as perspective goes. But given how lonely he seems to be, I think that he's using "vantage" as a nice sounding word for "position".
His vantage is very distanced. But occasionally he will "peer in", or take a closer look. I understand this to mean he will have brief interactions with her-- the only contact he has the courage to initiate.
"You'll grow up out of the corner of my eyes right next to him. You'll need help, you'll need attention. You're a captivated whim."
So he is watching her "grow up" which I take to mean change rapidly and perhaps lose innocence, not the literal growing up that takes years to do. She's changing because of the man she's with. I don't think he is abusive or particularly neglectful, despite the "help/attention" bit. The narrator thinks that he, himself, is the right one for this girl. He can give her the attention that she needs and as a result he has a biased view of the boyfriend. But she is with her boyfriend and loves him very much- hence "captivated". However, her boyfriend sees her as merely a fling- hence "whim".
"But I'm a coward prone to quitting. I just make sure never to begin."
He wants to help her, to give her attention and appreciation, but he's so scared of losing it or disappointing her that he decides it's better to not even try.
"The gunpowder between my teeth lets me know that I've come clean It should be easy to say goodbye since you won't be looking at me."
This is, in my opinion, a beautiful way to describe a suicide. As he shoots himself through the head (hence gunpowder between his teeth) he knows he is doing what's best for both him and the girl. He knows that she won't be hurt by his death because she hardly pays attention to him as it is.
"I can see you through a window but the cracks keep you a blur."
Watching from a distance. "Cracks" could be a metaphor for how she's changing for her man, thus she appears "blurred" compared to the woman the narrator once saw her as.
"There's a victim in this story, I wish to god that is was her."
This line confused me for a little while, because why would he suddenly want the girl to be the victim? But then I noticed the shift in pronouns. He always refers to himself as "I", the girl as "you", the boyfriend as "he", and now there is a sudden "she". I think "she" refers to another fling the boyfriend is having. The narrator wishes "she" (this other girl) could be the one experiencing the pain of the cheating relationship, but he knows in the end it will be the girl he cares for who gets hurt.
"While I know I've your recognition, it's of its nature I'm not sure. If I could ever push this question I'd shut my ears for the answer."
This is by far my favorite part. It's a beautiful way to word something that is simple but also painfully relateable to some. He knows that the girl is aware of his existence. They make eye contact, they've spoken. But does she even care? Or is he one of the hundreds of people we see all the time? Are their brief conversations merely out of politeness or does she remember him at the end of the day? He desperately wants to know. But the recurring theme of cowardice comes back in two ways. First, he doesn't even have the courage to ask in the first place. "If I COULD ever push this question". Again, this relates back to how he's too afraid of his own inadequacy or of emotional pain to even try. But even if he could ask, he wouldn't listen to the answer, for the reasons listed above.
Then the song repeats.
I've always thought of this song as the story of a man who works somewhere-- maybe a bar or a coffee shop-- and the girl is a frequent customer, sometimes with her boyfriend. In their brief interactions, he falls for her. He becomes hopeless and desperate for her. Still, all he can manage is the simple "Hello, how are you today?", or maybe a little more. In the end, the knowledge that he can't provide for her, and that she probably doesn't want him to anyway, become too much and he ends his life, with her being his last thoughts.